More robots landing in U.S. aircraft production

Monday

WICHITA, Kan. - Before the use of robots, technicians at Spirit AeroSystems, wearing welders' jackets and hoods, sprayed hot flames on certain airplane parts to increase their durability.

WICHITA, Kan. — Before the use of robots, technicians at Spirit AeroSystems, wearing welders’ jackets and hoods, sprayed hot flames on certain airplane parts to increase their durability.

The intense heat allowed a technician, who hoisted a hose over his shoulder as he sprayed, to stay in the spray booth only 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

“This is a lot easier,” said Bob Martin, a flame-sprayer at Spirit who now controls the heat with the flip of a switch.

The automation also increases the accuracy of the flame and improves quality. And it’s safer, Spirit officials say.

As in virtually all kinds of manufacturing, the use of robots at Spirit AeroSystems is growing.

When Spirit formed seven years ago, after Boeing spun off its Wichita commercial-aviation division, the company had six robots in place. Now Spirit has nearly five times as many.

They’re in Spirit factories in Wichita; Tulsa, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; and Prestwick, Scotland. Two-thirds are in Wichita. And most are used for drilling.

Others are used in nondestructive testing, fastening and painting.

“Robots are doing more and more diverse things,” said Curtis Richardson, associate technical fellow for automation at Spirit and president of the Great Plains Robotics Alliance.

At Spirit, they’re used on the Boeing 787, Airbus A350 and Sikorsky CH-53K programs and in building Boeing 737 and 777 nacelles.

Robots have long been used in the automotive industry, where auto-production volumes are high and the processes are repetitive. They’re also used in such industries as health care, military, electronics, packaging, space and mining.

Robots are becoming a small but crucial part of aircraft production, which also uses labor-intensive manual processes. The key is striking the right balance between automation and mechanical processes — and knowing how to achieve the optimum benefit, Richardson said.

“Robots have been doing more and more in our industry,” he said. “Spirit is on the leading edge on their implementation.”

When considering whether and where to use them, Spirit looks for applications that involve improving safety, ergonomics or the general working environment, he said. It also considers the ability to lower costs and win new business.

The use of robots has been a key factor in Spirit’s competitiveness, Richardson said.

“Automation is a big enabler. We’ve won business largely because of the automation that’s involved in our bid package.”

There are cost advantages.

“We’ve been told by customers had we not (been) automated, we would not have gotten the work."

New programs have meant new jobs at Spirit.

“No one at Spirit has ever lost their job because we put automation in,” he said.

Inside Spirit’s 787 hangar, a robot works behind an enclosed cage drilling thick precision holes in a cab structure made from aluminum and titanium. The structure will support the composite materials that form the 787 nose section.

Drilling titanium — a dense, hard metal — is a difficult process for a human, Richardson said. It’s labor-intensive and puts stress on shoulders and arms.

A robot can take the extreme pressure needed to drill titanium and save workers from injury.

Cessna Aircraft is exploring the use of automation, including the use of robots.

“We continue to explore opportunities to innovate our processes, including the use of automation in certain areas,” said Cessna spokeswoman Sara Monger. “We will make strategic investments in these products where it makes sense to do so for use as a company.”

The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University is looking at ways robots can aid aircraft manufacturers. In the automobile industry, robots may repeat a task 250,000 times, said John Tomblin, the agency’s executive director.

In the aviation industry, “You really have to question yourself: Is a robot needed in that type of production based purely on quantity?” he said.

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